How we study social psychology, i.e.,the decisions researcher makes about reality
(ontology), methodology, levels of explanation has important implications for the kinds of
knowledge (epistemology) we gather about people and behaviour
Philosophical roots
Ontology - is the philosophical study of the nature of being, becoming, existence, or reality
Epistemology – the philosophical study about the nature of human knowledge
Methodology – the kinds of methods we employ
Ontology - is the philosophical study of the nature of being, becoming, existence, or reality
(e.g., ‘things’ in the world – tables, trees, individuals, social groups, cognitions, etc.)
Epistemology – the philosophical study about the nature of human knowledge (e.g.,
scientific, religious, objective, subjective, etc.)
Methodology – the kinds of methods we employ (questionnaires, interviews)
Modern scientific methods, invented in the 16th Century, were not only a stunning technical
innovation, but a moral and political one as well, replacing the sacred authority of the
Church with science as the ultimate arbiter of truth” (Riger, 1992)
Modern Social Psychology: two camps
Experimental social psychology (or, positivist sp, traditional sp, experimental sp): scientific,
objective, aims to develop general laws, quantitative methodology, phenomena of interest
to social psychologists located within people
Critical Social Psychology/Social constructionism: interpretation of meaning, analysis of
discourse (language), qualitative methodology, pluralism, phenomena of interest to social
psychologists located between people (in society). World is constructed
Positivist Social Psychology
Positivist paradigm :
Paradigm = set of fundamental beliefs (ontology, epistemology and methodology)
researchers bring to the research endeavour (world-view, a way of seeing the world, our
place in it and the relationship we have with it)
Positivism is the philosophy of science that information derived from logical and
mathematical treatments and reports of sensory experience is the exclusive source of all
authoritative knowledge, and that there is valid knowledge (truth) only in this derived
(ontology), methodology, levels of explanation has important implications for the kinds of
knowledge (epistemology) we gather about people and behaviour
Philosophical roots
Ontology - is the philosophical study of the nature of being, becoming, existence, or reality
Epistemology – the philosophical study about the nature of human knowledge
Methodology – the kinds of methods we employ
Ontology - is the philosophical study of the nature of being, becoming, existence, or reality
(e.g., ‘things’ in the world – tables, trees, individuals, social groups, cognitions, etc.)
Epistemology – the philosophical study about the nature of human knowledge (e.g.,
scientific, religious, objective, subjective, etc.)
Methodology – the kinds of methods we employ (questionnaires, interviews)
Modern scientific methods, invented in the 16th Century, were not only a stunning technical
innovation, but a moral and political one as well, replacing the sacred authority of the
Church with science as the ultimate arbiter of truth” (Riger, 1992)
Modern Social Psychology: two camps
Experimental social psychology (or, positivist sp, traditional sp, experimental sp): scientific,
objective, aims to develop general laws, quantitative methodology, phenomena of interest
to social psychologists located within people
Critical Social Psychology/Social constructionism: interpretation of meaning, analysis of
discourse (language), qualitative methodology, pluralism, phenomena of interest to social
psychologists located between people (in society). World is constructed
Positivist Social Psychology
Positivist paradigm :
Paradigm = set of fundamental beliefs (ontology, epistemology and methodology)
researchers bring to the research endeavour (world-view, a way of seeing the world, our
place in it and the relationship we have with it)
Positivism is the philosophy of science that information derived from logical and
mathematical treatments and reports of sensory experience is the exclusive source of all
authoritative knowledge, and that there is valid knowledge (truth) only in this derived
